Tutorial: How to Make a Baby Bonnet from a Handkerchief

Here's a tutorial to show you a quick way to make a bonnet from a vintage handkerchief. You need a handkerchief:

You also need sewing thread, a safety pin, matching ribbon in 1/8th inch and 5/8 inch widths and two small vintage buttons. You will want some FrayCheck or clear nail polish for the ribbon edges.
1. First press the handkerchief flat, then (wrong sides together) press a fold on each side. One fold should be larger than the other. I'm showing two bonnets, so you can get an idea of different designs.

2. Machine or hand stitch a casing along the long side of the narrower fold about 1/2 to 5/8 inch from the fold. This will be the back ruffle.

3. Hook the safety pin to the narrow ribbon and thread it through the casing.

Unhook the pin, Hold both ends of the ribbon, gather the bonnet and tie a bow.

4. To make the ties, fold the loops as shown and sew one to each side of the bonnet, also sewing a button on each side.

5. Alllll done! FrayCheck the edges of the ribbon.  Put it on the baby! 


Happy Sewing!!   Love, Linda

Second Piece of my Cloth

"Let the beginner of embroidery set up a piece of plain linen and practice sending the needle up and down without regard to design. When the hands are trained by this movement, mark out on the linen large squares and seek to send the needle up and down at will."

Corticelli Lessons in Embroidery, 1838

Here's my second piece, it's been damp-stretched:

I went a little frenzied with the French knots again.

Some cutwork. It will be backed with white.

And . . . below is the beginning of my third section. (Sorry about the photo, I had to take it at night.)

Puffy stuff! I hope to visit some of you this weekend! Love, Linda

Cottage Garden Party

Linking with 


for garden updates. To save heating oil this winter I'm not heating the greenhouse, soooooo . . . all the tropicals are in the dining room with me. I sit and sew under the banana, as it tries to crawl out of one of the skylights. "Honestly, do you really NEED a new leaf in February????" As  you might imagine a new banana leaf is quite a production!

Windy and cold outside, tropical inside, kind of nice.

In the spring, they go out to live on the terrace.

Missing Winter??

Hi Friends!

First of all thanks to all who have entered the Fancy Apron Giveaway! Drawing will be March 21st. And thank you for all the wonderful compliments! (blush)

I'm not missing winter at all this year, seems like we have had just enough snow here in PA. But, for those of you who are missing snow, sleet, freezing rain, shoveling, scraping, brrrrr: Some photos from last year . . .

Walking

There is nothing you can say

(with the smell of wood fires

and the sweeping cries of geese)

that can charm my mind,

For I am lost

in the clean bite of wind.

Softly over the frozen ground

I'll show no footprints.

Deep under the snow

hide soft, growing things,

safely wrapped in ice,

their spring will not come to me.

My green center grows

behind crystal walls

of frost and snow,

and secret smiles.

Stay warm, Love, Linda

Progress on my Cloth

Hi Everyone! I haven't posted on the progress of my cloth from my online course with Karen at Contemporary Embroidery Click Here

So, here are a few photos of my progress (I'm way behind the rest of the class because of all the excitement of my apron being published in apronology, as well as this awful respiratory virus). So, in between coughing and drinking cough medicine and taking Tylenol for the fever, I fell down a couple of stairs and twisted my left knee this morning. I can just barely walk! Ugh!
Anyway, here is some cutwork, patchwork, and many, many more French knots:

And, I made backgrounds for more sections:

Time for more cough medicine. Love, Linda

Fancy Apron Giveaway!

To celebrate my publication in apronology magazine, I am giving away this cream colored fancy apron with rose design filet crochet lace!

DRAWING: March 21st - first day of spring.

For one entry: Follow my blog, or if you already follow, let me know.

 Post a comment.

For a second entry, go to my Etsy store (click on any thumbnail in the sidebar) and Like any item on Facebook.

Good Luck!

Below is my published story!

apronology is by Somerset Publications, available on newsstands Feb 1

Love, Linda

apronology!!

I've been published! Last summer I sent two aprons to apronology magazine, and they decided to publish one of them! They did all the photos and everything!

Here's my apron. How cool is this!??

And on the next page . . .

And the write-up about my grandmothers and everything!

I've decided to have an apron giveaway in honor. Details next Monday!

apronology is on newsstands now:

Love, Linda